[DAWN] MUZAFFARABAD: An Indian soldier has been captured by the Pakistain army, while Indian soldiers have also been killed in the episode of firing across the Line of Control, it emerged Thursday.Confusion over the capture of the soldier persists as neither Indian nor Pak officials are issuing any official statements on the matter, as yet.
An Indian army official based in New Delhi said, "It is confirmed one soldier from 37 Rashtriya Rifles with weapons has inadvertently crossed over to the Pakistain side of the Line of Control".
Avoiding connecting the capture to today's firing incident, he said such incidents of people including civilians crossing the frontier by mistake have happened in the past from both sides.
Building a case in favour of India, he added that those who strayed are returned.
"Pakistain has been informed [of the soldier's crossing] through the DGMO on hotline," ANI News quoted Indian Army sources as saying.
On Pakistain's side, two officials based in Chhamb sector said the Indian soldier with weapons was captured at 1330 local time on Thursday.
Separately, security sources confirmed the same to Dawn.com. The sources said a 22-year-old Indian soldier by the name Chandu Babulal Chohan was taken into custody by Pak forces.
They added that at least eight Indian soldiers were killed. The bodies of the Indian soldiers have not been recovered by the Indian Army from the site of the skirmishes at the LoC. Security sources claim an attempt to recover the bodies by the Indian Army has not been made yet as they fear coming under fire from Pakistain Army troops.
In his show Capital Talk on Geo News, Hamid Mir said that 14 Indian soldiers were killed in two sectors. Defense analyst Major General (Retd) Ijaz Awan, who was on his show, confirmed his claim.
More from The Nation: 14 dead
At least 14 Indian soldiers have been killed in retaliatory firing by Pakistani forces in response to Indian aggression along the Line of Control (LoC), security sources said on Thursday.
Defence analyst Major General (retired) Ijaz Awan said that 14 Indian soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire between armies of Pakistan and India along LoC.
“There have been eight casualties in one sector and six in the other. According to my sources the bodies of eight Indian soldiers have not been picked up from Tatta Pani Sector," said Awan.
The development comes in wake of cross-border firing between armies of the two countries, along the de facto border in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir on Thursday.
The exchange of fire took place in the Bhimber, Hot Spring, Kel and Lipa sectors in Azad Kashmir, and lasted about six hours, ISPR said in a statement.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa also confirmed the deaths of two Pakistani soldiers in the exchange of fire.
Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt-Gen Ranbir Singh claimed Indian Army had conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads along LoC.
Pakistan, however, refuted the Indian claim. “The notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorist bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by Indian to create false effects,” ISPR said.
Tension between Pakistan and India has been high since an Indian crackdown on dissent in Kashmir following the killing by security forces of Burhan Wani, a young separatist leader, in July.
Both the South Asian rivals claim Kashmir in full, but govern separate parts, and have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over Kashmir.